Method and apparatus for embossing flexible material



Ma 3l 1927.

y P. c. McNuLTY METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EMBOSSING FLEXIBLE MATERIAL Filed Dec. 7. 1925 SIShoots-Sheet 1 eu Y Nm/ m maf/N WLMI vH 6. W

1.4 anni:

y P. c. MCNULTY METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EMBOSSING FLEXIBLE MATERIAL 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Deo. 7, 1925 P. C. MCNULTY May 31, 1927. 1,630,754

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EMBOSS ING FLEXIBLE MATERIAL Filed Dec. v. 1925 asheqts-sheeys INVE'N TOR g5 C. Zfah@ B Y m? M TTORNEYS Patented May 31, 1927.

UNITED STATES PETER C. HGN'ULTY, 0F H1LWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

METHOD AND AIPABATUB FOR EMBUSSING FLEXIBLE IATEBIAL.

Application med December 7, 1925. Serial No. 78,917.

The invention relates to stitching attachments for sewing machines forr forming a bead or embossment upon leather, fabric, or

-other materials, and to the `method of producing this bead.

Heret-ofore it has been proposed to form a bead on leather or other materia-ls solely by stitching, in one instance, and by the use of a cord, tape and stitching, in another instance. Machines for forming the beaded edge solely by stitching have not been commercially practical, and the method of forming the beaded edge with a cord, tape and stitching is objectionable because of the use of the cord, which increases the expense, introduces additional operations after the bead has been formed, is awkward to handle, and does not produce the best quality of work. The object of the present invention is to improve these prior processes by forming the bead between a pair of cooperative rigid dies and maintaining the bead in its formed condition by stitching a stay piece or tape to the body of the material adjacent the bead as said bead is formed, and to provide mechanism for carrying out this method, which may be readily attached to sewing machines of known construction.

The invention is especially applicable to i the forming of a bead on a shoe vam so that such Vamps may be used for ma ng moccasin or shoe-pack type of footwear, the bead facilitating the forming of the vamp over the last to the desiredshape.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims atvthe conclusion hereof.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of apparatus embodying the invention, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section, appliedto a sewing machine;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation view of the apparatus, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an elevation view of the presserfoot;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation view, partly in section, along the line 5 5 of Fig. 6, of the forming-and-tape-guide member;

Fig. 6 is. a plan view of the member shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a detail front end view of the presser-foot Fi 8 is a detail sectional view taken on the hne 8-8 of Fig. 4;

f Ftig. 9 is a bottom view of the presser- Fig. l0 is a view` similar to Fig. 6, parts qbeing broken away to show a modified form of tape guide; Fig. 11 is a plan view of a shoe vamp hav- `ing a bead or embossment produced in accordance with the method; Fig. 12 is a detail sectional View taken on the line 12-12 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a detail bottom View of a portion of the vamp; and

Fig. 14 is a lan View of a modified form of forming-an -tape-guide member.

In the drawings the numeral 15 designates a. part of the stitcher-head in which a presser-foot 16 and an awl-carrying bar 17 reciprocate, and a thread-guide 18 works in the usual manner,and 19 a work-support having an opening 20 therein through ,which the needles 21 work in the usual manner. The bar 17 carries the awls 22 which work in conjunction with the needles in the usual manner.

Forming a partof the support 19 and mounted thereon, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, by screws 23 and in place of the usual fiat-throat plate ot' the sewing machine, is a forming-and-t-ape-guide member 24 which is shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 6. This member 24 has a iiat plate portion 25 provided with holes 26 for the screws 23, spaced elongated needle slots 27 with a bridge 28 between them, and a tape-,guide slot 29 formed on its under side. The bridge 28 is of known flat form to strengthen the plate and perform the usual function of supporting the stock between the needles during the stitching operation. A

piece 30, secured to the plate portion 24 in any suitable manner and curved upwardly at 31, forms the bottom of the tape-guide" slot. The. member 24 also has a centrally disposed bead-forming die portion in the form of a relatively narrow projection 32 extending from its base 33 over and slightly above the delivery end of the slot 29 and the 'lat surface of the plate portion 24, and with its end 34 terminating adjacent a part of the bridge 28.

A presser-foot 35, secured in the usual manner to the reciprocating bar 16, has a laterally extending foot 36. This foot is provided with a toe forming a concave bottom bead-forming die 37. Behind the die 37 are s aced slots 38 in which the awls 22 and nee les 21 are free to work, and a rearwardly extending strengthening fianffe 39 on one side. The side opposite the dan e 39 is open so that the work may be readi y turned in the machine away from the main working arts of the machine.

'With t is construction, the material to be embossed, such as a piece of leather, for example -in the form of a vamp 40, is placed on the forming member 24 and over a stri 4l of tape which has been threaded throng the guide-slot 29. The machine is then started and as the material between the dies is pressed over the fixed die 32 by the reciprocating arched presser-foot or die 35 to form a bend or bead 42, the aWls 22 cooperate with the needles 21 and the threadguide'lS to stitch the body of the material adjacent to the bead to the tape 41 by the rows of stitching 43, which action is successively performed upon the materlalas the operator feeds it through the mach1ne and guides it so as to form the desired configuration of bead which, in case of a vamp for shoe packs, is of the form shown 1n Fie. 11. Thus the bead is formed between a fixed and movable die and While so formed is permanently maintained in formed psition by stitching the tape to the underside of the material adjacent the bead. In the form of sewing machine herein shown, the oscillation of the needles feeds the work, and hence the tape, through the machine.

Instead of forming the die 32 integral with the plate portion 24, it may, as shown in Fig. 14, be formed as a part of a plate 24 secured to the plate portion 24 by screws 44 and cooperate with a recess 45 formed in the upper part of plate rportion 24 to form a tape-guide.

1Where it is desired to adjust the Width of the tape-slot or guide, the construction shown in Fig. 10 may be used, wherein a pair of recessed plates 46 are adjustably secured to the plate portion 24 by means of screws 47 Whose Shanks pass through slots 48 in said plate portion, these plates 46 being slidably mounted in a recessed portion of the plate 24, which is similar to the recess formed by the slot 29 except that it extends all the Way across the plate 24. Thus the plates 46 are adjustable toward and away from each other to vary the Width of the tape-slot 49 formed by said plates and the plate portion 24 so as to accommodate tape of different Widths.

The modifications shown in Figs. l0 and 14 act in conjunction With the presser-foot 35 the same Way as the forming-and-tapeguide member shown in Figs. 5 and 6, ex-

.materiah below the fixed readily equipped with the presser-foot andV forming-and-tape-guide member made inaccordance with my invention for producing a bead or embossment upon the work.

By the term tape I mean a fiat strip or `stay piece of any suitable stitchable material.

I desire itto be understood that this -invention is not to be limited to any specific forni or arrangement of parts, or manner of operating the parts, except in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims, it being noted that the method may be carried out by hand as well as machine operation.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. 1n a bead-forming machine for shoe Vamps, the combination of a movable presser foot provided with a forming die and a relatively fixed die cooperating therewith to form a bead in the material being operated upon, means for guiding a tape beneath the die, and means for stitching the tape to the material adjacent the bead as said bead is formed by said dies.

2. ln an attachment for sewin machines of the spaced-seam type, the combination of a reciprocating presser foot provided with a forming die, and a work-support having openings through which the needles'work and provided with a relatively fixed die cooperating with the reciprocating die to form a bead in the Work as it is fed through the machine, said support also having a tapeguide to introduce a tape beneath said relatively iixed die, the spaced needles of the machine Working through said support to stitch the tape to the material adjacent the bead as said bead is formed by sald dies.

3. In an attachment for seWin machines of the spaced-stitch type, the com ination of a reciprocating pressure foot provided with a forming die, and a Work-support havin openings through which the needles wor and provided with a relatively fixed die cooperating With the reciprocating die to form a bead in the Work as it is fed through the machine, said support having an adjustable tape-guide, the spaced needles of the machine Working through said support to stitch the tape to the material adjacent the bead as said bead is formed by said dies.

4. In an attachment for sewin machines of the spaced-stitch type, the com ination of a reciprocating presser foot provided with a forming die, and a worlesupport having openings through Which the needles Work and provided with a relatively fixed die cooperating With the reciprocating die to form a bead in the Work as 1t is fed through the machine, said support having an adjustable tape-guide including a pair of adjustable plates recessed to form a guide, the spaced needles of the machine working through said support to stitch the tape to the material adjacent t-he bead as said bead is formed by said dies.

5. ln a sewing machine for forming an imitation moccasln seam, the combination of a pair of needles, a4 guide plate having a pair of parallel slots through which said needles work and having a supporting portion betweensaid slots for supporting a tape, a member secured to said plate and spaced from said slots, said member and said plate forming a channel for guidin said tape, a mandrel carried by said mem er and overhanging and projecting over la portion of said plate, said mandrel being equally spaced from said slots and adapted to have the work* slit thereover, and a presser foot having aLJ grooved lower face ,adapted to engage the upper side of said work and cause the work to arch up over said mandrel, whereby thework is retained upwardly arched and the tape is stitched to the under side of the work on opposite sides of the upwardly arched port1on.

6. In 'a sewing machine for forming an imitation moccasin seam, the combination of a pair of needles, a guide plate having a pair of parallel slots through which said needles work and having a supporting portion between said slots for supporting a tape,

a member detachably secured transversely across said plate and spaced from said slots, said member and said plate forming a channel for guiding said tape, a I,mandrel carried by said member and overhan 'ng and projecting over a portion of said p ate, said -imitation moccasin seam, the combination of a pair of needles, a guide plate having a pair of parallel slots through which said needles work and having a supporting portion between said slots for supporting a tape, a fixed die associated with said plate, a tape guide through which a tape may be passed beneath said die, and a presser foot havin a grooved lower face cooperating with sai die to press the work between said die and said toot whereby the work is upwardly arched and the tape is stitched to the under side of the work on opposite sides of the upwardly arched portion.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

PETER C. MCNULTY. 

